Phone Calls
by aspirer
Summary: My first RogerMimi fic. Involves my favourite character, Angel, and how she brings them together, even when she is sick. Feedback is love.


Disclaimer: Do I own it? Figure it out.

Roger lifted the corner of the doormat and slid the key out from underneath. He straightened up, yawning and stretching his neck, irritated that he was here.

'Roger, man, I need a favour' Collins had said when he rang. He woke Roger up.

'Yeah?' Roger mumbled into the phone, hie eyes still closed.

'I need you to go to my apartment. Angel's not answering the phone and I'm worried. She made me leave this morning but…I don't know, she just didn't look well'

There was a silence 'Please, man? I can't leave the school. Ang'd kill me if I was fired'

Roger groaned 'Just for you and Ang' and he rolled out of bed. So he'd thrown on some clothes and left his apartment, inhaling crisp air trying to wake himself up. And now he was here.

Mumbling, he slipped the key into the lock and twisted it, trying to be quiet so as not to wake Angel, who he was sure was sleeping. He padded into the small apartment and his eyes fell on an open bottle of blue nail polish and a piece of toast lying on the bench. Maybe she was up after all.

'Angel?' Roger called out, his voice echoing in the silence. There was no answer. He walked into Collins and Angel's room. The light was on, the curtains still drawn, and there was no sign of her.

'Ang?' Roger walked back through the living room and kitchen to the tiny bathroom. The door was shut so he knocked first. There was no answer. Roger pushed it open, opening his mouth to call out again, before the words caught in his throat.

Angel was lying on the floor of the bathroom, her body crumpled in a heap. She was dressed in a skirt and tights with a singlet, and her wig was balancing on the edge of the bathtub. Roger felt his head spin as he stared at her and tried not to think about a similar situation that he'd faced not long ago, except with more blood, and razor blades instead of a wig.

Pulling himself together, he dropped to his knees and grabbed her underneath the shoulders, heaving her upwards. He nearly dropped her when he felt how unexpectedly light she was. He could feel her ribs through the singlet.

'Angel!' he shook her, holding her head so it wouldn't roll to the side. 'ANGEL! Wake up!' He got to his feet, still pulling her, and lifted her into his arms with ease, his concern growing each passing second. The sudden movement must have jolted her, for she opened her eyes suddenly and began coughing uncontrollably. Roger placed her back on the floor, trying to calm her down through the spasms spreading through her body.

'C'mon, Ang, calm down, ssh, tell me what happened' Roger tried to ignore the tremors in his own voice. Angel grabbed the edge of the toilet bowl and pulled herself against it, retching into the water. Roger rubbed her back, and, seeing the outline of her spine through the sweat-soaked singlet, he began to feel scared for the first time.

Slowly the shuddering in her shoulders ceased and she slumped backwards. Roger caught her with shaking arms and bounced her head with his shoulder.

'Angel!' he said loudly. Her eyes opened again and she stared at him, finally comprehending who he was.

'Rog-' her voice cracked and she swallowed, shutting her eyes once more, just briefly. 'I…' she tried again 'Mimi- I need…Mi-Mimi-' she sat up abruptly and struggled to stand.

Roger steadied her 'Careful' he led her out of the bathroom and to the couch. He sat her down and reached for the phone. 'I'm gonna call Mimi…'

With trembling fingers, Roger dialled the familiar number, his heart pounding not just for Angel but in anticipation of talking to Mimi for the first time in weeks.

'Hello?' Roger nearly dropped the phone.

'Benny?' Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Angel look at him.

'Who is this?' Benny's voice echoed down the receiver. Roger squeezed his eyes shut in frustration.

'It's – it's Roger…can…can I talk to Mimi?' Benny was silent for a few seconds, then Roger heard Mimi in the background.

'Benny! I told you not to answer my phone! Give it to – hello?'

'Mimi it's Roger'

'Oh…'

'Angel's not well and she needs a hospital but she asked for you and I don't know what to do, or how to get her there and - oh _shit _– I haven't called Collins yet and-'

'Roger! Calm down. We'll be over in 2 minutes'

Roger exhaled 'We?'

'We'll borrow Benny's car. He can drive us to the hospital. Keep her awake'

There was a click and Roger suddenly remembered Angel. He dropped the phone and scooted over to the couch. Angel still had her eyes open and was looking at him strangely. Roger stopped in his tracks.

'What?'

'You…you…' Angel took a breath and exhaled, pushing herself into a sitting position 'You still…love her'

Roger opened his mouth to reply, but found he couldn't. He couldn't lie to a person as sick as Angel. It wasn't right. Pressing his lips together, he nodded and then moved to pick her up from the couch, driving the subject back to the important issue.

Angel allowed him to slip his arms under her and lift her; too weak to hold her head up, she relaxed in his arms, but not before flashing him a weak smile and pinching his cheek.

'I knew it…'

Roger pushed open the apartment door with his foot and carried Angel down the stairs of the block. He kept talking and checking on her. She'd shut her eyes but was mumbling to him. 'I'm ok'

He pushed open the door leading out to the street, right as Benny's Range Rover drove into view. The car slowed, and Mimi jumped out, racing over to Roger and taking one side of Angel's body.

'Mimi!' Angel breathed, clutching at Mimi's shoulder.

'Angel, I'm here, baby, it's ok, I'm here' Together, Roger and Mimi carried Angel to the car and got into the back seat, with Angel sitting between them. Benny twisted round from the front seat. There was no trace of resentment in his expression, just concern.

'Ready to go?'

'Step on it' Mimi was sponging a wet cloth over Angel's forehead, focused only on her friend. Benny nodded and the car pulled away from the curb, racing toward the hospital.

Angel was mumbling incoherently. Roger leaned closer, trying to understand, but Mimi was already replying to Angel's inaudible chatter.

'Honey, I know you hate hospitals, but we have to check you out, okay? Yep, we'll call Collins as soon as we get there. No, baby, he'll just be worried, not angry'

Roger sat back and stared. He had never seen this side of Mimi before. Sure, he'd seen her sweet side, her quiet side, her 'softer' side, but he'd never seen her _this _compassionate or this maternal. He couldn't stop staring at her eyes. Huge and brown and aching with a gentleness that made him heartsick. He looked away to distract himself, and saw Benny's eyes in the rear view mirror, staring at him. Roger almost felt guilty, but before he knew it, Benny's eyes had flown back to the road.

'Thanks for this, Benny' Roger said quickly. There was a short silence, before Benny replied.

'No problem…you ok, Angel?'

'Mmm' Angel murmured. Mimi patted her face gently.

'C'mon now, stay awake, sweetie' The car pulled into the hospital car park and Roger and Mimi piled out of the car with Angel. Benny drove off to park. They half carried, half dragged Angel up the stairs and into the hospital foyer, ignoring the glances Angel's outfit attracted.

They pulled her to the desk and before they could so much as say goodbye to Angel, a convoy of doctors and nurses had surrounded her and whisked her away to Emergency, leaving Roger and Mimi alone.

Mimi stared after her best friend as if Roger wasn't there. He was just about to say something when she turned to him and grabbed him, burying her face in his jacket. He stiffened and then slowly wrapped his arms around her. He could feel her shaking. Sure enough, she pulled away and wiped her eyes.

'Sorry, Roger, I just…I can't stand this' her voice wobbled 'It's so hard to stay strong in front of her when she's so…'

Roger hugged her again, more to cover his embarrassing lack of comforting words than anything. He could smell the citrus shampoo she loved and the cheap, jasmine-scented perfume her meagre salary afforded her. She smelled so achingly familiar.

'What happened to us?' her voice was muffled and small. Roger said nothing. He just kept holding her. Slowly and carefully, Mimi pulled back.

'Roger?' he looked down at her face, her bright eyes drowning in tears and her pleading expression.

'I-' his voice cracked. Mimi reached up to smooth his hair away from his eyes.

'Mimi?' they both jumped at the sound of Benny's voice.

They stepped back from one another, like they were on fire, and Mimi dutifully moved toward Benny. She looked back at Roger as Benny glanced at him suspiciously.

'Thankyou for helping Angel' Mimi said as she shoved her hands in her pockets, and shrank beneath Benny's arms. He slowly steered her toward the hospital doors.

'You'll be able to call Collins, man?' Benny shot at Roger.

'Yeah…yeah, yes, whatever' Roger stared at Mimi, tired of tiptoeing around his emotions. Benny pushed her out the doors and walked her quickly away. Roger clenched his fists and inhaled sharply, walking, controlled, over to the phone booth.

He couldn't wait any longer to call Collins. Collins' quiet sobs on the other end of the phone and his swallowed promise to leave for the hospital immediately not only broke Roger's guarded heart, but brought him to a realisation. He hung up the phone, slipped in some more change and dialled an all-too-familiar number for the second time that morning.

AN: Not at all what I expected it to turn out like sadly, and if some people are disappointed with this, I'm not surprised, because I am. But I posted it because it's my first RogerMimi fic. Feedback is love.


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